Proposed Revisions to By-law No 3 — Fees & Public Register

Feedback deadline was:
Nov. 20, 2015

Summary

The College is currently seeking feedback on proposed amendments to its By-Law No. 3. The amendments support changes to the Drug and Pharmacies Regulation Act (DPRA) Regulation, ongoing transparency initiatives within the College, and changes in the organizational structure and fees for the College.

While a number of administrative and housekeeping-type changes have been made, the most significant amendments — and those that the College is seeking feedback on — relate to changes in fees and changes to information that the College will post on the public register.

Proposed Changes to Fees

If passed, the proposed changes to fees would come into effect in January 2016 or upon proclamation of the regulations under the DPRA.

1. Members: Annual Renewal Fees

There is no proposed change to the annual renewal fee for pharmacists or pharmacy technicians.

2. Applicants: Registration Fees

There are proposed changes to initial registration costs for new members. These proposed amendments help to better align OCP’s fee structure with those of other jurisdictions where entry-to-practise is heavily subsidized by the profession. Proposed fee changes for all classes are:

Structured Practical Training fees of $410 are eliminated

Application fees decrease from $205 to $75

Jurisprudence examination fee decrease from $200 to $100

Registration filing fees increase from $130 to $300

3. Community Pharmacies: Application & Annual Renewal Fees

There is a proposed change of $80 to the annual renewal for community pharmacies. Fees for community pharmacies have not changed for more than five years. The changes are required to support additional screening of a potential operator’s suitability to operate a pharmacy, both at initial application and annually upon renewal. Proposed changes are:

Application fees for new openings increase from $250 to $500

Application fees for openings from a change in ownership (acquisitions) increase from $250 to $500

Annual renewal fees increase from $860 to $940

4. Hospital Pharmacies: Application & Annual Renewal Fees

The proposed DPRA Regulation amendments will provide the College with the authority to license and inspect pharmacies within Ontario’s clinics or hospitals. This requires supporting by-law amendments to include fees for the issuance and renewal of Certificates of Accreditation for hospital pharmacies.

The proposed fees for hospital pharmacies were set to recover costs directly attributed to the hospital inspection program. They include a flat rate for hospital pharmacy accreditation, regardless of the number of beds in the hospital or services provided. This is consistent with community pharmacies as they all pay the same fee for accreditation, regardless of prescription volumes or specialty services. Proposed fees are:

Application fee of $3,000

Issuance fee of $3,000

Annual renewal fee of $5,000

Proposed Changes to the Public Register

The College has made an ongoing commitment to transparency and has pledged to provide the public with more relevant and useful information about practitioners and pharmacies. As such, the College is currently re-designing our public register to assist the public with making informed choices about their healthcare professionals. These amendments are in addition to those passed by Council in December 2014 and March 2015.

If passed, the amendments would allow the College to post additional information and manage information that is maintained:

Any language(s) in which the practitioner provides professional services, based on a self-declaration by the practitioner on annual renewal

The purpose of an inspection (e.g. routine, re-inspection, etc.) of a pharmacy or drug preparation premises (DPP)

Additional information about a DPP, such as the name and address

Information that resulted from a direction or order of a Committee, or resulting from an offence proceeding will be maintained on the register indefinitely

The College already has by-laws to allow for the posting of — if known and if the Registrar believes they are relevant to the member’s suitability to practice — a summary of any currently existing charges against a member, a summary of any currently existing custody or release (bail) conditions, or a summary of any findings of guilt. This amendment would allow the posting of this information even after a member’s Certificate of Registration is terminated, for any reason, while the offence proceedings are pending, or after the College notifies the member that the information may be placed on the Register.

The changes will also provide more flexibility for the College to delete redundant information and retain relevant information as appropriate.